Seeds set for Section III winter volleyball; playoffs start Tuesday
SYRACUSE ― The seeds are set and the Section III winter volleyball champion will be crowned over the next two weeks.
Play begins with three matches Tuesday as teams competing in four classes battle for spots in the Feb. 17 championships at Watertown High School.
Top seeds were awarded Monday to defending Class C champion Mt. Markham, Class A New Hartford, Class B Canastota and Class D Cincinnatus.
Mt. Markham (16-0) and Beaver River (15-0), the No. 2 seed in Class C, are the only two teams entering postseason play without a loss. Mt. Markham was also unbeaten last winter and has won 35 consecutive matches since its last loss against Tully in the 2022 sectional final; the Mustangs have not been beaten in the regular season since 2017-18.
More: Hamilton claims first fall volleyball title
More: Mt. Markham, RFA win 2023 winter volleyball titles
Mt. Markham swept three games from Beaver River in last year's final. Beaver River also went undefeated during the regular season last year.
New Hartford (16-1), winner of two of the section's last four Class A titles, enters postseason play with 16 consecutive wins after a season-opening loss to Rome Free Academy, the No. 2 seed and defending champion. Rome Free Academy (16-1) started the current season with six victories before suffering its only loss in the rematch with New Hartford.
Both matches between the Spartans and Black Knights went five games. Rome Free Academy beat New Hartford 3-1 in last year's semifinals, then defeated Whitesboro in the championship match. New Hartford had beaten Whitesboro in the 2022 final after beating Carthage in 2019.
Canastota (16-2) has won 13 matches in a row and Cincinnatus (15-2) enters the postseason with eight consecutive victories.
Tuesday's schedule includes three first-round matches. The rest of the first round - eight matches - will be contested Wednesday, along with the first quarterfinal match in Class A between No. 5 Carthage (12-6) and No. 4 East Syracuse-Minoa (13-5). The bulk of the quarterfinals will be played Thursday with the final four matches Friday. Semifinal matches are set for Tuesday, Feb. 13 at higher seeds.
Two of the Tuesday matches are in Class B. No. 10 Adirondack (5-15) plays at No. 7 Holland Patent (8-10) with the winner playing Thursday at Christian Brothers Academy (13-4) of Syracuse. No. 9 Oneida (8-11) and No. 8 General Brown (8-10) play Tuesday to determine Canastota's opponent Thursday. The other Tuesday match sends No. 12 Port Byron (4-15) to No. 5 Dolgeville (12-6) in Class C; the winner plays at Cooperstown (15-2) on Thursday.
No. 7 Little Falls (11-8) and No. 8 Sauquoit Valley (10-8) play at home Wednesday in Class C while No. 5 Stockbidge Valley (8-7) and No. 7 New York Mills (10-9) host matches in Class D. Proctor (4-13) plays at Watertown (4-11) to decide New Hartford's quarterfinal opponent in Class A.
In the other Class A quarterfinals, No. 6 Whitesboro (9-8) plays at No. 3 Camden (15-4) Thursday, and Rome Free Academy hosts No. 7 Central Valley Academy (6-11) Friday.
Other area teams with byes into the quarterfinals include No. 4 Clinton (12-6) in Class B, and No. 2 Remsen (15-4) and No. 4 Town of Webb (12-4) in Class D.
Section III champions were crowned in six classes for the first time during the New York State Public High School Athletic Association's fall season - Hamilton for the first time in Class D, LaFayette in Class C, Westhill in Class B, Jamesville-DeWitt in Class A, West Genesee in Class AA, and Baldwinsville in the new Class AAA. The section had 35 teams competing in fall volleyball this year while 53 are playing in the winter.
Class A
2023 CHAMPION: Rome Free Academy
FEBRUARY 7 FIRST ROUND
No. 8 Watertown 3, No. 9 Utica-Proctor 2 (25-18, 19-25, 25-14, 10-25, 15-6)
FEBRUARY 7 QUARTERFINAL
No. 4 East Syracuse-Minoa 3, No. 5 Carthage 0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-17)
FEBRUARY 8 QUARTERFINAL
No. 3 Camden 3, No. 6 Whitesboro 2 (22-25, 26-24, 20-25, 25-23, 16-14)
FEBRUARY 9 QUARTERFINALS
No. 1 New Hartford 3, No. 8 Watertown 0 (25-8, 25-13, 25-6)
No. 2 Rome Free Academy 3, No. 7 Central Valley Academy 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21)
FEBRUARY 13 SEMIFINAL
No. 4 East Syracuse-Minoa (14-5) at No. 1 New Hartford (17-1), 6 p.m.
FEBRUARY 14 SEMIFINAL
No. 3 Camden (16-4) at No. 2 Rome Free Academy (17-1), 6 p.m.
FEBRUARY 17 FINAL
Semifinal winners at Watertown High School, 4 p.m.
Class B
2023 CHAMPION: Chittenango
FEBRUARY 6 FIRST ROUND
No. 7 Holland Patent 3, No. 10 Adirondack 0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-13)
No. 9 Oneida 3, No. 8 General Brown 2 (20-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 15-13)
FEBRUARY 7 FIRST ROUND
No. 11 Vernon-Verona-Sherrill 3, No. 6 South Jefferson 2 (24-26, 17-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-13)
FEBRUARY 8 QUARTERFINAL
No. 9 Oneida 3, No. 1 Canastota 2 (25-15, 17-25, 25-12, 23-25, 15-8)
FEBRUARY 9 QUARTERFINALS
No. 2 Syracuse-Christian Brothers Academy 3, No. 7 Holland Patent 0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-11)
No. 3 Chittenango 3, No. 11 Vernon-Verona-Sherrill 0 (25-14, 25-8, 25-15)
No. 4 Clinton 3, No. 5 Lowville Academy 0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-22)
FEBRUARY 13 SEMIFINALS
No. 9 Oneida (10-11) at No. 4 Clinton (13-6), 6 p.m.
No. 3 Chittenango (13-5) at No. 2 Syracuse-Christian Brothers Academy (14-4), 6 p.m.
FEBRUARY 17 FINAL
Semifinal winners at Watertown High School, 2 p.m.
Class C
2023 CHAMPION: Mt. Markham
FEBRUARY 6 FIRST ROUND
No. 5 Dolgeville 3, No. 12 Port Byron 0 (25-15, 25-15, 28-26)
FEBRUARY 7 FIRST ROUND
No. 11 Westmoreland 3, No. 6 Weedsport 0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-19)
No. 7 Little Falls 3, No. 10 Morrisville-Eaton 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-20)
No. 9 South Lewis 3, No. 8 Sauquoit Valley 2 (25-21, 18-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-12)
FEBRUARY 8 QUARTERFINAL
No. 11 Westmoreland 3, No. 3 Tully 0 (25-9, 25-8, 25-10)
FEBRUARY 9 QUARTERFINALS
No. 1 Mt. Markham 3, No. 9 South Lewis 0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-15)
No. 2 Beaver River 3, No. 7 Little Falls 0 (25-22, 25-21, 26-24)
FEBRUARY 10 QUARTERFINAL
No. 4 Cooperstown 3, No. 5 Dolgeville 0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-16)
FEBRUARY 13 SEMIFINAL
No. 11 Westmoreland (9-13) vs. No. 2 Beaver River (16-0), 6:30 p.m.
FEBRUARY 14 SEMIFINAL
No. 4 Cooperstown (16-2) at No. 1 Mt. Markham (17-0), 6 p.m.
FEBRUARY 17 FINAL
Semifinal winners at Watertown High School, noon
Class D
2023 CHAMPION: Sandy Creek
FEBRUARY 7 FIRST ROUND
No. 5 Stockbridge Valley 3, No. 12 Owen D. Young/Richfield Springs 1 (25-21, 25-22, 23-25, 25-20)
No. 6 Sandy Creek 3, No. 11 Waterville 0 (25-5, 25-10, 25-20)
No. 7 New York Mills 3, No. 10 McGraw 0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-21)
No. 9 Manlius-Pebble Hill 3, No. 8 Syracuse-Faith Heritage 2 (17-25, 26-24, 25-21, 22-25, 15-11)
FEBRUARY 9 QUARTERFINALS
No. 1 Cincinnatus 3, No. 9 Manlius-Pebble Hill 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-13)
No. 3 Fabius-Pompey 3, No. 6 Sandy Creek 2 (21-25, 25-18, 26-24, 15-25, 15-10)
FEBRUARY 10 QUARTERFINALS
No. 2 Remsen 3, No. 7 New York Mills 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-15)
No. 5 Stockbridge Valley 3, No. 4 Town of Webb 2 (20-25, 24-26, 25-16, 25-22, 15-8)
FEBRUARY 13 SEMIFINAL
No. 3 Fabius-Pompey (16-5) at No. 2 Remsen (16-4), 6 p.m.
FEBRUARY 14 SEMIFINAL
No. 5 Stockbridge Valley (10-7) at No. 1 Cincinnatus (16-2), 6 p.m.
FEBRUARY 17 FINAL
Semifinal winners at Watertown High School, 10 a.m.
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: New York winter volleyball playoffs: Section III seeds, schedule
